This summer, Gabriel Luque and Laura Herrera, coordinators of the BIG4LIFE project have hosted Martina Lorente, a senior high-school student who is carrying out her research project on green roofs.
The work is entitled “Green roofs: study and comparison of different construction systems.” During these three months, Lorente has created an introductory theoretical framework, delving into how green covers have evolved over the years and including examples from around the world. The work showcases the different types of green roofs and their construction systems, explaining the materials used and their characteristics.
The research project also includes a hands-on approach where the student has created five models (1:1 scale) of portions of the roofs, where the different materials used can be appreciated. This way, she was able to compare the weight of the system before and after irrigation, and saturated with water, as well as calculate the amount of water retained by the system and the amount of water drained. Last but not least, the construction costs of the systems were also calculated and compared.
With all the data gathered, Lorente will work in a “real case” identifying the total surface of the Cappont Campus that is currently covered with gravel and will propose a design and construction system using the data obtained with the models and the theoretical framework for a small area of the CREA roof.
Lorente’s stay was secured through the ITINERA program, which aims at uniting the efforts of the Universitat de Lleida and the high schools of the city so that the students can have a first-hand experience in a research environment.